Once My Blood Fell
by NotABookwormAtAll
Summary: Once this girl lets her blood sizzle over the coals, her life is changed. With new friends, a new romance brewing, and danger at almost every corner in her new home, how will she survive it all? And is the Dauntless-born boy attracted to her anything more that just competition or another complication? And what will happen when everyone realizes what she truly is?
1. Family and Faction

**Please post your ideas so I will know if you want me to continue.**

**Chapter 1**

As I stared down at five bowls and their symbolic contents, I imagined the look on my father and stepmother's faces. Their Erudite lifestyles never accepted my 'illogical decisions' and my 'rash reactions' like the one I was about to make. I took up the small, golden-bronze dagger near the Abnegation representative, Bianca DiAngelo, which called my name seconds before. I pressed the cold steel against my palm and let small stream of blood pool in my hand and slowly raised my bleeding limb. Even though I had already made my choice years ago, I wanted to savor the moment I dreamt of since I was seven. I passed over the large bowl with glass representing my home faction and went straight for the leftmost bowl filled with dark, sizzling coals of the bold Dauntless. I let the blood drip from by hand and once the first drop, my new fraction whooped and whistled for their newest initiate.

I went to go sit next to my new family. I glanced across to the other side of the amphitheater shaped room where my old blue-clad faction sat. My stepmother looked downright murderous. She always made comments on how the police of our city make decisions that are 'illogical and they should not be worthy of protecting us'. My father's expression actually surprised me more than anything I've ever seen. He was actually had a small smile spreading across. He never even made an attempt to smile unless it was for his image or his new family.

I sat next to a girl with frizzy red hair, Amity yellow and orange clothes. Her hands had words and drawings scattered on her palms in such a way where people cannot see them from a distance. Since the names went in reverse alphabetical order, she had been called already. That also meant that the ceremony was close to finished.

I wonder what my father would do after I leave. He never would acknowledge my existence unless I made a mistake and I hated being in his presence, but most of what he would do was badger me with endless facts about how to make the perfect experiment or how to design the most efficient vehicle. I love having knowledge and being able to solve equations, but if I hated those I was around, it was never going to be worth it.

At the end of the Choosing Ceremony, the Abnegation stayed in their seats because of their customs, leaving plenty of room for the shoving Dauntless to run towards the stairs. I couldn't see my dad and thought of how I will probably never see him again. I quickly followed the Dauntless-born up to the top floor where I wondered why are we going up; isn't the train down stair like the one they came on? To answer my question, a worn, white train came around the corner without slowing down. Instinctively, I backed away because Erudites were not supposed to throw themselves in situations. A few lithe people in the very front of the group start running towards the edge of the building like they were going to jump off the side of the building but instead they merged horizontally to stay parallel with the train. Once they jumped onto the safety of the car, others began to follow in their footsteps. I saw the end of the train coming near so I began the process. I launched myself at the train's last open door. The people on board clapped and congratulated me on my first Dauntless feat. I laid my eyes out the door where two or three Dauntless had just become Factionless. Again, I happened to sit next to the red head.

"Hey. You're the girl that sat next to me earlier. I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Lizzie for short. Didn't you come from Candor?" she inquired when I sat down.

"Erudite. And it's not Blondie. My name is Annabeth."


	2. Just the Beginning

After we leaped off the train on the rooftop of a rundown building made of crimson bricks. Everyone was amazed that I was able to land on my feet unlike the rest of the new initiates that followed the Dauntless-borns' examples. A tanned, blonde haired guy about eighteen years old led us to the edge of the building where there was a large, round thirty year old waiting. For a minute, I thought that we would be jumping off the side of the building to the street almost fifty feet below.

When we reached the other corner, everyone had fanned out to see why the leaders were standing on the half-wall on the perimeter of the rooftop.

The teen faced us and did a head count of the group of sixteen year olds in front of him and the man. She saw that he had a scar that went from his temple down to the edge of his chin and several piercings on his left eyebrow and ear along with tattoos on his arms.

"I'm Luke, the soon-to-be leader of Dauntless. First, before your next test, ground rules. As you already know, the initiates–whether they come from here or another faction- have to go through the initiation. But, this year, if you are cut, you are deemed factionless, which is worse than death in some cases. We will not be your family after that. Also, you are not to leave the compound unless accompanied by a Dauntless member and permission. A new rule this year is that the newbies and the Dauntless-born will not fight together or do anything test related until the end of the first stage. The first stage is mostly combatting each other while the second is combatting your fears. Now, do we have any questions before you begin your new life?"

I looked at the bewildered faces around me that were affected by the small speech. Many, including Lizzie, looked like they wanted to object. I figured that everyone has in the dark about this. No one asked any questions and waited for Luke to continue.

"Do we have any volunteers to go first? Not any in the Dauntless-born?"

Everyone stared at each other until a handsome, muscular boy pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Lizzie and me.

"I'll go."

Luke and the other man moved apart giving him room to stand on the ledge. He looked down the dark abyss and without second thought, he leaped off the edge. We heard a laugh and then the faint sound of old springs being pulled and clapping. Before anyone else could move, I walked towards the ledge while everyone behind me gathered closer. I turn towards the group and fell backwards with my hands at my side. My blonde hair billowed up like flames from a fire. Within a few seconds, a net at the bottom squeaked as it pulled at the stress of my light, lithe frame. I grabbed hands with a few Dauntless members stationed around the square net to assist the jumpers.

A girl about nineteen years old with spiky black hair and Gothic clothes was the closest to me so I followed her hands to the right of me.

"You have a name?" she paused while I fumbled off the edge to the platform where the net's stairs were. "You can make a new one here, y'know."

"It's Annabeth."

As she announced the name of the first Newbie to jump, I stumbled over to the first jumper. As I looked at his tanned face, all he said was one thing.

"You look weird when you jump."

Once almost everyone has jumped, the Goth girl came over and said "Welcome to Dauntless, Annabeth."

Sorry that the chapters are short! It's my first time!


	3. Training Day: Pt 1

After the last jumper reached the rest of us, the Goth girl and a dark haired teenager with olive skin quickly ushered us down a blank, concrete hallway to her left.

"Alright pansycakes, follow me. I will be taking you to your new home."

We continued walking until we came upon an intersection of hallways. The man from the top of the roof was their waiting for the two Dauntless members to show up with the soon-to-be members.

The girl turned and introduced herself as Thalia and her partner as Nico. The man introduces himself as Gabe, the official leader of Dauntless. He smells like old meat and sweat broiled with socks, but it seems that everyone knew better to grimace. He passes the stage off to Thalia who quickly addressed us and turned down the hall after scanning the horde of teenagers.

"This is where we break off with each other. You can still hang out together and eat together, but training and sleeping is separated. All Dauntless-born, follow Nico since you already know where everything is. All Newbies, follow me because you shall be given the ultimate test of boredom: a tour."

"Ranks are put into order to show who tries harder and to distribute the desirable positions here at Dauntless after initiation. Also, as of this year, only the first 12 are made members so if you want to be factionless and alone, I suggest you let the others win. The three stages this year will all include cuts. Training begins tomorrow at eight sharp, so don't be late and get well rested."

Chiron, our newly-introduced trainer, dismissed us from the training room to do what we pleased. I started my way towards the horrid barracks called home. The whole way there, Lizzie only had one thing on her mind: the image of leaving the faction we just chose as our home disowning us.

I slept in my in sapphire blazer and shirt since I didn't have any clothes. Lizzie stayed up a little longer to chat with the two other new initiates: Silena and Grover. Everyone else looked at each other resentfully or was trying to rest. The seven other people in the barracks were soon asleep with only the soft buzz of breathing and snoring polluting the air.

The next morning, I rushed to the dining hall so I wouldn't be late for my first day. I picked Lizzie's red hair out of the crowd after getting a muffin and yogurt from the line. I sat down next to her before I realized our company. He stared at my face, most likely blushing. I kept quiet most of breakfast until Lizzie asked what I thought we'd be doing in training. Apparently 'I don't know' was not the answer she was looking for.

I shrank back to my food when he kicked me gently under the table to get my attention.

"Don't worry about her. She probably just wants to keep the conversation going because she's excited." He muttered.

"She is looking towards the wrong person then. I am the quieter type."

"I figured as much. Dauntless will make you louder though, just wait. Take my friend Zoë." He nodded two tables over towards a tall girl with stunning, let lethal looks. "She was reserved for a long time but after her initiation, she is a party go-er and loves getting tattoos with everybody."

"Well, where I was at, I didn't have the chance to make many friends or be loud with my family. They just cared about scholarly decisions and knowledge like the average Erudite family."

"Take advantage of the chance now because with the cuts that they are making, I'd try and find someone to talk to or ally with. What's your name anyways, Wise Girl?"

"For one thing, I don't want to be called 'Wise Girl'. My name is Annabeth. I left Erudite for a reason."

"Well, Annabeth, the name fits you. And just because you left does not mean that you are dumb. The name's Jackson, Percy Jackson."


End file.
